Pearls and Paper Bags
by TheBlazingOptimist
Summary: Derpy and The Doctor apply to become part of the Canterlot elite, and the former takes a very unique approach- will it succeed? MLP:FiM oneshot based on the Season 2 episode "Sweet and Elite". R&R! :D


It was late afternoon, and Doctor Whooves was casting a beady blue eye over a list that had been sent to him by his good friend Rarity. It was a list of all the high-society ponies in Canterlot, Equestria's capital city, and, at the bottom, a section of details about how to sign up. It was long, but not the least bit tedious or boring- what kept him going was the certainty that at the end, he'd be part of the sweetest and elitest ponies in the country-

"Hi Doctor!" a familar voice then interrupted.

_Oh yeah, and that, _he thought to himself with a smile. Turning around, he saw his pegasus companion Derpy in the air, with her saddlebag draped over her torso.

"Oh, hello there Derpy!" he greeted her happily. "I was wondering where you got to!"

"I was just at Sugarcube Corner, picking up some snacks." she explained, handing him a tray of light yellow muffins. "They didn't have any of the ones you liked, so I just picked up these- they were on sale, you see..."

The Doctor said nothing, immediately taking one and putting it into his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing. A tangy sensation erupted on his tongue.

"Wait, are these... no, they can't be... lemon meringue muffins?"

"Yup." Derpy replied, giggling.

"I haven't eaten one of these in a while! Give my compliments to the chef, understand?"

"Of course!" she answered. "I'm sure Pinkie Pie will be thrilled to hear you like her baking!" She then began to fly over to where The Doctor was seated, looking with crooked yellow eyes at the list he'd been completing.

"Doctor, what's that?" she asked curiously.

"Ah, yes. Rarity suggested that I'd be the perfect sort of pony to join Canterlot's high class, you see, so I'm filling out this form. It's terribly long, though." He exhaled and wiped his forehead.

"Canterlot? But, Doctor, that's really far away..."

"Yes?"

"And, that means I'll hardly be able to see you..." Her face dropped into a sad expression.

At that moment, both of The Doctor's hearts felt like breaking.

There was a largely unwelcome silence as the two thought over the other's impending absence.

It only lasted for a few seconds.

"Wait!" Derpy cried out, almost sending the Doctor flying out of his skin. "Doctor, I think I have an idea!"

"Ooh, great!" he replied. "I don't know what it has to do with our current subject, but still, tell!"

"I think I know a way I can get onto Canterlot's high-class list!"

"Derpy, that's going to be incredibly hard-"

Before he could finish, she was flying out of the door, humming happily.

"For the love of Celestia," he said to himself, "please, **please **don't let her do anything stupid."

He sat hoping for about an hour, before Derpy came back in the most peculiar attire- namely, some paper bags and a pearl necklace.

"What the hay are you wearing?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, the paper bags are from my Nightmare Night costume, and I bought the necklace from Rarity a while back. Never thought I'd wear it until now!"

"Hold on a second." The Doctor instructed, "Is this your plan for getting into high-society Canterlot?"

"Well, why else would I be dressed like this?" Derpy replied.

The Doctor found it hard not to laugh. "Derpy, those ponies won't just accept you on the way you look- you need to act formal too..."

"Oh, I can do that!" she announced, clearing her throat and elevating her body. "I am so terribly sorry, madam," she then said, in an amazingly posh voice, "but I simply do not know what went wrong!"

"Derpy, that accent was wonderful... but, I still don't think they'll accept you..."

"Oh, just let me try..."

"You know a lot of ponies are prejudiced about you." The Doctor warned, trying desperately to keep her away from some ponies that could very well dent her confidence.

"It won't hurt to let me try..." she insisted.

"But-"

"Just let me try?" she pleaded, squishing her face against his.

"Grrgh, fine!" he accepted. "But don't say I didn't warn you! The Canterlot society isn't a game, you know!" He walked over to the table, reluctantly adding Derpy's name to the sheet before handing it to her.

"Put this in the post." he advised flatly.

Derpy nodded, flying happily outside, coming back in a few minutes later. "So, what do we do now?" she asked.

"Well, we just have to wait a few weeks, and then a letter will come back to us saying whether we've got the place!" he replied, trying to

And so, the weeks passed. Both ponies were anxious- Derpy, about whether her efforts had been enough, and The Doctor, about whether or not the Canterlot authorities would really fall for Derpy's costume.

It was about midday when a tall, slim, white unicorn with a pink mane and tail entered Derpy's treehouse home.

"Excuse me, young filly," the mare asked, turning to Derpy, "I have a letter here for Doctor Whooves and a Miss Ditzy-Doo-"

"Ooh, ooh! That's us, that's us!" Derpy cut in excitedly.

"Wonderful." the mare replied, leviating the envelope until it landed into Derpy's hooves. Strangely, she didn't seem the least bit confused by Derpy's normal voice.

"Are you sure you want me to open it whilst you're in here?" she asked her.

"Yes, that's quite alright dear." the mare replied with a smile. "You go ahead and open up, don't be shy!"

Slowly, Derpy prised the envelope open with her hoof, occasionally glancing over at The Doctor and the kind unicorn for support. She read the letter aloud as she teased it out of it's encasing.

"_To Doctor Whooves... I am sorry to inform you that you have not earned a place in the Canterlot Elite._"

The unicorn looked over to him with saddened eyes. "I'm so sorry, sir. I wish I could have influenced the decision-"

"It's fine." he broke in. "At least Derpy still has a chance."

Both the mares smiled, before Derpy went back to reading the letter from where she left off. "_However, I am happy to announce that- _OH MY CELESTIA!" Her face widened into a grin.

"What is it?" The Doctor asked.

"I GOT IT!" she exclaimed wildly. "I GOT INTO THE CANTERLOT HIGH SOCIETY!"

"You didn't..." he retorted. The unicorn smiled wryly, beckoning him over to look.

"You... you **DID! **You actually did! Oh, well done you!" he praised, pulling her into a hug.

"Aren't you sad about not getting a place?" Derpy asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." he replied calmly. "Everything has its time, Derpy. Mine is still awaiting its arrival..."

"I didn't understand any of that." she commented confusedly.

The Doctor chuckled. "You will, my friend. Soon, you will..."

Derpy raised an eyebrow, before rushing over to the unicorn and hugging her tightly. "Thank you!" she said. "Thank you so much-" She paused. "Er, what's your name again?" she then asked quietly.

"Call me Fleur." she answered gently.

Derpy nodded, hugging her again, before pulling away. "This'll be my last question, I promise- now that I'm part of the Elite and everything, will I be taken away from The Doctor? Will I be taken from Ponyville? Because I sorta really like it here, y'know?"

Fleur laughed. "Well, by Canterlot rules that would be the norm," she replied. "But I'm sure I can conjure up a little something to make them change their minds- you _are _friends with Rarity, right?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!" she answered. "How did you know?"

"Well, she talks a lot about you and The Doctor, how marvellous you both are. And, do you know what?"

Derpy looked up to her, awaiting the answer to her rhetorical question.

"I think she was most certainly telling the truth." she finished with a smile.

Derpy ran forward to embrace her again. In the corner, she could see her outfit slumped against a wall.

She had a major inkling that Fleur had already seen it. And loved it, just as The Doctor had done, secretly, before her.

_Perhaps pearls and paper bags aren't a bad combination after all, _she thought to herself.

**A/N: Now, wasn't that adorable? And rather on-the-fly, may I add- after seeing Derpy in that big Canterlot high-class checkerboard type scene in Sweet and Elite (I'm useless at explaining stuff, derpderp) I just couldn't help but start thinking about how she managed to get there in the first place, and so this came about. I also added a few references to other episodes- can you find them all? ;D**

**And, before all of you start asking- I really don't know whether The Doctor's comment will lead onto anything else... I guess I'll just have to see where my mind takes me. **

**Hope you enjoy the story!**

**Wishing you a happy life (and Easter, to those who celebrate it ^_^),**

**Love,**

**Blaze xox **


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